Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio has done a tremendous job in building up the Spartans football program to the level it currently stands. After winning a Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl last season, Dantonio’s Spartans are now respected as the class of the Big Ten and look to be the conference’s best hope to crack the College Football Playoff at the end of the season. If there is anything Dantonio is lacking, it sure isn’t confidence in his team. Dantonio, appearing on ESPN’s First Take, went on record saying Michigan State has a win waiting for them tomorrow when the Spartans take on Ohio State.
Saturday night’s contest between Michigan State and Ohio State is essentially an elimination game for the Spartans and the Buckeyes, at least as far as the College Football Playoff is concerned. The Spartans are the highest-ranked one-loss team from the Big Ten and can easily move up at least one spot with a win with TCU and Kansas State playing tomorrow night as well. For Ohio State, this is the last chance to prove to anyone watching or paying attention the early-season loss to Virginia Tech should not be considered a true example of what this team is. Both teams have improved since their early losses, and now a chance to seriously enter the playoff discussion is up for grabs.
Mark Dantonio up next on First Take. Asked by Cari Champion, “We got a win coming tomorrow, right?” Dantonio: “We got a win.”
— Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) November 7, 2014
Saturday night’s contest between Michigan State and Ohio State is essentially an elimination game for the Spartans and the Buckeyes, at least as far as the College Football Playoff is concerned. The Spartans are the highest-ranked one-loss team from the Big Ten and can easily move up at least one spot with a win with TCU and Kansas State playing tomorrow night as well. For Ohio State, this is the last chance to prove to anyone watching or paying attention the early-season loss to Virginia Tech should not be considered a true example of what this team is. Both teams have improved since their early losses, and now a chance to seriously enter the playoff discussion is up for grabs.
The Big Ten is still lingering in the playoff hunt, but the conference may be in need of either one of these two programs (or Nebraska) to rise up and come through with a big performance.